This invention relates to a heat pump which includes a compressor driven by an internal-combustion engine.
In known heat pumps which are associated with an internal-combustion engine and which are used, for example, in heating systems for buildings and which include heat exchangers as well as a control system, the internal-combustion engine and the compressor form two separate units which are flanged together in a relatively complex manner. The reasons therefor may be found in the sealing problems which are difficult to solve, since the coolant (such as freon) contained in the compressor must be, under all circumstances, prevented from entering into the chambers of the internal-combustion engine. If, for example, the coolant penetrates into the engine crankcase, it will be drawn-in and combusted by the engine, resulting in the generation of toxic gases.